It was approaching dawn when they arrived at what Buffy assumed was Spike's home. A castle that was tucked back for miles away from the main path and in the safety of many large oak trees. The grounds were shadowed by the large tree's and seemed quite ominous and intimidating, surrounding the house in darkness.
Not inviting at all
From what she remembered having read in her fathers books about the wars of the two fighting vampire covens was that William the bloody AKA Spike, was a ruthless killer. He gave no mercy to his foes and was a force to be reckoned with. At first the vampires had been one united clan, it was them versus the humans whose land, possessions and women they wanted. They had ransacked village after village killing and taking what they pleased, who they pleased. The vampires had hunted down and killed each and every one of her ancestors until there was barely anything left and then they turned on each other.
The covens divided and after that the books were filled with pages and pages of the battles fought and the lives lost in the aftermath of each tragic event.
Buffy sighed, Spike had no doubt tried and had maybe even succeeded in killing a member of her family.
Her fathers books had said Spike had once been in the same coven as Angelus, brows furrowing together as she thought. She couldn't remember reading what had actually started the war between the two covens, a feud between Angelus and Spike, but Buffy knew from the way her face still stung after the punch Spike had delivered to her face that Drusilla was somehow involved.
Willow was helped out of the carriage by Oz and Tara, one hand placed on the swell of her belly as she waddled up the path to the doors. Hands reached and grabbed for Buffy as soon as she stepped from the carriage, orders having already been barked at the guards from their master to take her away as he rushed inside before he met the sun's rising harmful rays.
Watching the doors close behind the trio who walked ahead of Buffy she paused, wondering why Willow, Tara and Oz stayed.
Were they too captives of Spikes? Forced to work for him? Was he too threatening there lives and loved ones? Was he after Willows baby? Oh God. Surely not? Then again with his nature and tormented past.
Buffy was jolted from her thoughts when out of her peripheral vision she saw more guards carrying the crumbled form of one Riley Finn and cast a glance back at the carriage, curious as to where he had been kept during there travels. She struggled against her bonds in a desperate need to run to Riley and beat him to a bloody pulp and make him talk.
If he was going to die it would be by her hands.
Hands grabbed against each of her forearms, stilling her movements. Buffy struggled for a few moments before sagging in defeat, knowing that she wasn't going to get the chance to question him any time soon. They walked in silence, Buffy letting the men drag her through the huge castle doors and inside to her new prison.
Home sweet prison-y home.
When they took an abrupt turn up a flight of winding stairs instead of down she was startled. Surely she was to be kept in the dungeon which was in the lower levels of castles. Buffy stumbled on the uphill steps still weak, hands still bound and unable to balance. Letting out a yelp as one of her captors pushed her back down and another grabbed at her arm, forcing her forward.
"Don't bother trying to escape." Was growled out at her before she was roughly shoved into a dark room a few minutes later and the door slammed shut behind her.
There was no window in the room, nothing but pitch black darkness. With a shudder from the freezing cold air the stone walls kept encased in the room and unable to see a thing Buffy stepped forward and let out a yelp, the corner of a thick piece of furniture hitting her hip at an uncomfortable angle.
Giving a defeated sob she slipped to the floor, her tears flowing freely. She remembered her first few weeks with Angelus in the cold dark dungeon below his estate and then to the windowless room she was then moved into. Deja Vu was all around her, but with a brief shaky breath she let out a sigh. At least she wasn't shackled to a wall this time.
Minutes or hours later she wasn't sure, voices started at the door making her jump and her heart race.
Thought too soon. Here they come to tie me up properly.
"You open this door right now or so help me I'll curse you!"
"But the master-"
"If Spike has a problem he can come and find me. Open it. Now!"
There was silence and then Willow growled out a few words in Latin before the door was thrust open and Buffy squinted from the intruding light.
"This is ridiculous!" Willow yelled at the now closed door as she too was encased in darkness. Buffy only had a few moments to see her form, arms full of bandages and more vials before her image had slipped away into shadows.
"Accendo."
A fire burst into flame in the fireplace that Buffy only now realized the small room had, tucked away in the corner of the room.
"You're a witch!" Eyes wide, unbelieving. Buffy had pictured Willow to be more of a medicine woman with the amount of potions and vials she had first seen on the hutch when she had first woken the previous day.
"Sure am." Willow smiled, proud. She placed her items on the wooden hutch that Buffy had found purchase in front of before walking around the room and lighting the lamps and candles that surrounded them.
Following her movements she finally got the chance to survey her new prison. It was a lot more comfortable than the last one she had been in when Angelus had held her captive that was for sure. There was a large four poster bed against one wall, it's red satin sheets flaming an even brighter red against the candlelight that now shone bright throughout the room. A hardwood chest sat at the foot of the bed facing the fire which Buffy slowly stood and walked towards to sit on, warming her toes in the fur rug beneath her feet as she lent against one of the beds posts.
Willow moved back to the hutch and spread out her items looking apologetically at Buffy as she lifted the vial that contained the wet cold liquid that would clean her wounds.
That one always hurt the most.
"Is Tara also-"
"She's learning." Willow helped Buffy unravel the bandages from her torso as they spoke. "You speak Latin quite well. Are you a witch too because I can totally teach you this really awesome-"
"No." Buffy laughed nervously, confused at Willows ease and openness around her. Spike treated her with such cold disdain, nothing else than she would expect a person to treat a prisoner, but Willow and Tara, they were different. They always sent her apologetic looks and small reassuring smiles. Buffy didn't know what to think of the situation. "My father-" she sighed sadly, missing him terribly. What she wouldn't give to hear him speak again, for him to wrap her up in one of his amazing hugs and whisper that everything was going to be ok. "He dabbled a bit b-but I speak it because almost all of his books were in Latin. Especially the ones about-" Buffy drifted off.
"About you?"
"And my mother."
Willow was surprised at the rate Buffy's back was healing. The wound was still red and angry, but already the skin had begun to stitch itself together.
"Amazing." She whispered before motioning for her to grip onto something. This time the cold liquid was poured onto her back she only let out a hiss in response. It burned, but was nowhere near as bad as it had been hours earlier when it was changed on the path. "Is your mother chosen like you?"
"She was."
"I'm so sorry." Willow whispered, seeing the unshed tears in Buffys eyes. "How did she-"
"Angelus. Riley said she's alive... or was. I need to speak to him. Can you? I need to-"
"I'm so sorry Buffy."
There was a few moments of silence as Willow begun pasting the cream on her back and the pain turned into nothing but a dull ache. Whatever that comfortable and open mood had been in the room stopped and Buffy couldn't help but stare into the fire in the corner of the room, trying to force away the memories of Angelus's words, taunting her about how he had tortured and killed her mother.
Buffy knew Willow wasn't going to help her, but there was no harm in trying. Shaking her head to rid herself of painful memories she spoke, trying to lighten the mood.
"Oz? What is he? He's not a witch and he's not a vampire, but he's something else... something with power."
"Oz is a werewolf."
"Werewolf?" Buffy whispered, whipping her head around to meet a smiling Willows eyes. Willow reached down and stroked the swell of her large belly, smiling before reaching for the fresh bandage on the hutch.
A memory of brief flashes of fur passed before her as she remembered the night they had taken her from Riley right before she had passed out in the forest. "You have a werewolf in your belly!"
"She won't turn until she's of age." Willow laughed at Buffy's obvious bewilderment. "I can't even begin to imagine the image you just had of a tiny little four legged pup in my belly." Willow chuckled again before tying off her bandage. "As long as she's healthy I don't really mind what she is. She's a part of me."
Buffy watched on in silence again as Willow moved about the room, cleaning up. She picked up everything in her arms and moved to walk towards the door, turning to look back sadly at Buffy's defeated form.
"Spike's not so bad once you get to know him." Willow offered her a small smile and Buffy could only looked back unsure, unease forming on her face.
I don't want to get to know him.
"I'll be back tomorrow to change your bandage again." She rapped at the door. "Try and get some sleep."
"Thank you."
Willow turned in the open doorway and smiled back at Buffy, her gaze broken as the door was once again slammed shut and the lock slipped back into place.
Alone again.
......................................................
Slamming her fist against the door Buffy let out a frustrated growl. All of her efforts where fruitless. Glaring menacingly at the lock that just wouldn't budge she threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. Pacing back and forth on the fur rug beneath her feet she felt her body begin to warm, part in thanks to the fire Willow had lit hours earlier.
She had spent the first hour after Willows departure searching the room for everything and anything that could be useful in her escape.
If I ever manage to pick this God damn lock!
The chest at the end of the four poster bed contained a few old dresses and the hutch Willow had set her things on had nothing in it but the fork she had used to attack the lock. That would have been too easy. There was no window to climb through and the walls where made of thick stone.
It was impossible.
Running a hand through the tangled mass that was her hair, she let out a puff of air in defeat.
"Great. Just great! Stuck in a room with no windows with nothing but a few old rags. Reduced to talking to myself. Smooth Summers."
Buffy fumbled her steps when the door was thrust open and two men came in. One carried a small plate of food and the other a basin of water and a washcloth. They stayed only long enough to place their respective items on the chest at the end of the bed before turning to leave the room, door banging shut once again.
She rushed for the food, stomach growling and couldn't help but let out a moan as her taste buds went haywire. Her first real meal in weeks. After demolishing her food in only minutes, Buffy soaked the face cloth in the warm water and wiped the dried blood from her cheek and chin. Frowning upon seeing the dried blood on her hips from where the blood on her back had trailed down, she cast a hesitant glance towards the shut door before pulling her tattered pants down.
Lifting one leg at a time onto the hutch Buffy washed them clean, running the washcloth over her hips and over the lower part of her back that wasn't bandaged. She rinsed off her hands and tried her best to scrape the dirt and blood from beneath her fingers before her vision blurred, limbs becoming heavy.
There was no doubt in her mind that Willow had once again put something in her food.
Stumbling to the bed and managing to get under the covers, the last feeling Buffy had was her bite mark burning before she was met with darkness, completely numb once more.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry about the delay in posting! I was away at a conference with work and had no access to my computer to be able to post.
Chapter End Notes:
Things are just getting interesting :)